Quest for Glory II - Trial by fire

Title		Quest for Glory II - Trial by fire
Game Type       Adventure
Company         Sierra
Players         1
HD Installable  Yes
Compatibillity  All (Although a numeric keypad is really useful)
Submission      jfroholt@online.no (Joachim Froholt)

Review
This game is very similar to Quest for Glory I, so instead of going
through the basics of this game again, I'll just tell you what's different
between the two games, and mention some of this game's good points.
Essentially though it's a graphic Adventure with text input. If you are
unfamiliar with the Quest for Glory series, you should read my review
of QfG I before reading this one.

The story goes like this: After successfully saving the village of
Spielburg from a bunch of really tough brigands, you decide to join the
innkeeper from Spielburg as he travel back to his home: A city called
Shapeir, located far south. As you reach Shapeir, it becomes evident that
they too are in need of a hero. The sister city of Shapeir, Raseir, has
been taken by an evil wizard, and now he is in the process of invading
Shapeir as well. As usual, you are the only one able to rescue Shapeir. In
fact, to rescue Shapeir, you must also find a way to save Raseir.

If you have played QfG I, the first thing you notice is that this game
looks better. The graphics have been greatly improved, and there are also
more animations here. The next thing you notice is the size of this game.
While in the first game, you were trapped in a small valley, here you find
yourself in a big city. Outside the city gates, there is a seemingly
endless desert, so in comparison with the first game, this game is huge.

The magic system has also been changed slightly, as you can now aim spells
using the mouse pointer. This opens up a new dimension to the game, as
you'll have to take into account your own position when you aim the spells.
For instance, if you want a certain object to fall on a certain other
object, you can not just cast a Force bolt spell at it. You have to make
sure the spell hits the object so that it actually falls the way you want it
to. Complex? No, not really. All you have to do is to use common sense,
but this feature really adds something to the game. This feature also works
when you want to throw something.

Another change is that as you now live in a desert, you need water. In the
middle of Shapeir, there is a magic fountain where you can fill your
waterskin(s), but unless you are careful (and don't get lost!), you'll
find yourself without water in the middle of the desert. There is an oasis
somewhere but it is up to you to find it.

The huge desert also makes it neccesary to have some sort of riding
animal. Fortunately, you can buy a riding saurus from the stables at the
city gate. Beware, though, if you meet a monster in the desert, he'll get
scared and run away - after throwing you off.

The fights have also been changed in QfG II. In the first game, you saw
the action from behind your character. Here, you see them from an
isometric point of view. This doesn't change the way the fights work,
though.

In QfG II, there are plenty of new monsters to fight, and plenty of new
spells to learn. It also becomes more important what character class you
choose. The game will be very different depending on your selection, so it
might actually be interesting to play through it again, choosing another
hero class. For instance, if you know magic, you can try to find the
Wizard's Institute of Technocery (WIT). If you're a fighter, you might get
admitted into the Eternal Order of Fighters. Thieves also have their own
guild. Another interesting aspect is that some people will react
differently to you depending on your class.

In QfG I, the conversations were really great. It works the same way in this
game too, but there is more stuff to talk about. Also, everyone has their
own personality, so you really feel that you are interacting with different
people, not just the same person with different faces.

QfG II isn't as non-linear as it's predecessor because certain things will
happen at set times. Unless you manage to solve these problems in time,
they will end the game. The last part of the game, where you go to the
depressing city of Raseir, is also rather linear.
There are more puzzles to solve in this game than in QfG I. Fortunately,
they are all very logical, so you won't need to "try everything" as in
certain other adventures.

Quest for Glory II has a really believable environment. I found myself
buying flowers for the wife of the innkeeper to thank her for the delicious
food she prepared for me, and I was also unable to walk past the
fluteplayer without throwing him a coin. When my good friend Abdulla Doo
was sitting at the inn, we could talk about the weather forever:) Playing
through Quest for Glory II was possibly the best experience I have ever
had with a computer game.

Quest for Glory II is also the game I have had the biggest difficulty
obtaining: When I finally found someone who stocked it, I had to wait 1
YEAR(!) for the game to arrive from England. It was worth the wait, though.

 I really hope you will have less problems finding this game, because it
is a true gem. Although the Quest for Glory series continued on the PC,
Sierra ruined everything because they dropped the text interface. So, on
the Amiga, we've got the two best games in this series. You should really
take advantage of that and buy them both.

Alphabetical list.